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Section C
Prevention Programming and Using the Ecological
Framework
Broad Principles of Effective Programs
Principle 1: prevention programs should enhance protective
factors and reduce risk factors that are related to locallyspecific substance abuse problems
- Hawkins et al., Addictive Behaviors, 2002; Hawkins, et al.
Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 1999
Principle 2: prevention programs should address multiple
forms of drugs abuse, including:
- The underage use of legal drugs (e.g., tobacco or alcohol)
- The use of illegal drugs (e.g., marijuana and heroin)
- The inappropriate use of legally obtained substances (e.g.,
inhalants), prescription medications, or over-the-counter
drugs
- Johnston et al., Monitoring the Future National Survey
Results on Drug Use, 2002
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Broad Principles of Effective Programs
Principle 3: prevention programs should be tailored to
address risks specific to target population or audience
characteristics, such as age, gender, and ethnicity
- Rural Substance Abuse: State of Knowledge and
Issues. NIDA Research Monograph No 168.,
Washington, DC, 1997
Principle 4: prevention programs that target two or more
levels can be more effective than those aimed at a single
level
- Bauman, et al., American Journal of Public Health,
2001
4
Broad Principles of Effective Programs
Principle 5: prevention programs should be long term
with repeated interventions (i.e., booster programs) to
reinforce the original prevention goals
- Scheier et al., Journal of Drug Education, 1999
Principle 6: prevention programs are most effective when
they employ interactive techniques that encourage
participation and provide students with structured
opportunities to practice and reinforce new skills
- Botvin et al., Journal of the American Medical
Association, 1995)
5
Strategies at the Individual Level
Adolescent
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Strategies at the Individual Level
Educational interventions that incorporate social and
personal skills building curricula
- Bell, Ellickson, & Harrison, 1993; Botvin,Baker,
Dusenbury, Botvin, & Diaz, 1995
Individual-oriented interventions should address the
motivation for using substances
- Flay & Sobel, 1983; Flynn et al., 1997; Paglia & Room,
1998
Knowledge-oriented interventions about harms and risks
associated with substance use and abuse cannot, by
themselves, produce measurable and long-lasting
changes in substance abuse-related behavior and
attitudes
- Goodstadt, 1974; Hansen, 1992
7
Strategies at the Family Level
Adolescent
Family
8
Strategies at the Family Level
Research shows that positive parenting approaches
targeting the family (parents and children) can be effective
in preventing adolescent substance use
- Dishion, Andrews, Kavanagh, & Soberman, 1996
- Hawkins & Catalano, 1992
Interactive techniques are important in promoting the
development of new skills in programs that seek to
improve communication within the family
- SAMHSA/CSAP, 1996
Indicated family counseling interventions (with substanceabusing parents) have been shown to improve parenting
skills
- Kumpfer et al., 1996
9
Strategies at the School Level
Adolescent
Family
Peers and School
Risk
Protection
10
Strategies at the School Level
Effective interventions include the following: strengthening
academic skills so as to reduce academic risk factors
- SAMHSA/CSAP, 1996
Mentoring programs designed, in part, to foster the
development of academic goals have shown a relatively
strong degree of effectiveness in the area of substance
abuse prevention
- LoSciuto, Rajala, Townsend, & Taylor, 1996; Tierney,
Grossman, & Resch, 1995
Effective prevention strategies include school policies that
communicate a commitment to substance-use prevention
and have formal no-use policies for students, teachers,
administrators, and other staff
- Paglia & Room, 1998
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Strategies at the Peer Level
Alternative activities that incorporate social and personal
skills-building opportunities are more likely to be effective
with high-risk youth who may not have adequate adult
supervision or access to a variety of activities
- Tobler, 1986
More intensive alternative programs that include multiple
concurrent approaches seem to be most effective
- Howard, 1993; Schaps, DiBartolo, Moskowitz, Palley,
& Churgin,1981; Tobler, 1986
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Strategies at the Neighborhood Level
Physical
Neighborhood
Work
Setting
Religious
Community
Adolescent
Family
Peers and School
Cognitive
Neighborhood
Neighborhood
13
Strategies at the Community Level
Alternative activity events serve to establish strong
community norms against misuse of alcohol and use of
illicit drugs
- Paglia & Room, 1998; SAMHSA/CSAP, 1996
Use of mass media is an appropriate approach for
influencing community awareness and community norms
- Paglia & Room, 1998; Flynn et al., 1997
Community mobilization efforts have been shown to be
effective in raising awareness about the problem of
substance abuse and in coordinating prevention and
treatment services
- Phillips & Springer, 1997; Yin & Kaftarian, 1997
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Strategies at the Society / Macro-Environment
Level
Laws and Policies
Physical
Neighborhood
Media
Work
Setting
Religious
Community
Adolescent
Family
Peers and School
Historical
Events
Cognitive
Neighborhood
Economic
Events
Neighborhood
National and
Global Contexts
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Strategies at the Society / Macro-Environment
Level
Counter-advertising campaigns that disseminate
information about the hazards of a product or the industry
that promotes it may help reduce cigarette and alcohol
sales, consumption
- Lewit, Coate, & Grossman, 1981
- Schneider, Klein, & Murphy, 1981
Deterrence laws and policies for impaired driving have
been effective in reducing the number of alcohol-related
traffic crashes
- Hingson, Heeren, & Winter,1994; Johnson, 1995
More frequent enforcement operations lead to greater
reductions in retailer noncompliance
- Jason, Billows, Schnopp-Wyatt, & King, 1996
- Preusser, et al., 1994
At least for tobacco, excise tax decreases use
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